The Day She Was Discharged
by b33hve
Summary: An AU of Kimi no Suizou wo Tabetai (anime adaptation) where Sakura Yamauchi arrived safely at Café Spring and enjoyed her first day out of the hospital with the classmates she deeply cherished
1. Café Spring

Disclaimer: I don't own Kimi no Suizou wo Tabetai and brands that appear in this story.

* * *

Haruki was sitting beside the window when Kyoko entered the café and glared at him. "You! What were you thinking? Hugging her at the hospital?"

He answered shortly, "I never expected that to happen. It just… happened."

"STOP MAKING EXCUSES!" she shouted, shocking all other customers. "ARE YOU REALLY GOING OUT WITH HER? OR YOU GIVE HER FALSE HOPE? WHICH ONE?!"

"Neither."

Kyoko clenched her hands; she was about to slap his cheek. "DON'T LIE TO ME!" she yelled as Sakura came inside and waved her hand. Haruki didn't suffer any pain since Sakura's presence was enough to calm her down.

She turned to Sakura and asked the same question with high tone, "Seriously, are you really going out with him?"

"No," she replied with a smile. "Like I've told you before, we're just getting along. You'll understand someday, I promise."

Haruki guessed, "So, you're the one who asked her to be here?"

"Bingo, you're right! I want you two to become friends. Actually, I want the three of us to hang out more often."

A barista cut their talk and asked if any of them wanted to order something. Sakura ordered ice chocolate, Kyoko wanted a cup of hot lemon tea, and Haruki requested for another cup of coffee. Sakura asked the barista which sandwich was the most favorite. They ended up ordering the same variant – the recommended one.

After that barista left, Sakura continued, "Now, since you've known each other, let's get straight to the point. You…" she faced Haruki, "… really should learn to befriend other people, starting with her."

"Well, I'm okay with it. It'll work as long as she's interested to be my friend."

Sakura told Haruki and Kyoko to look at each other. After that, she wanted Haruki to say "Please be my friend." He did say it, but unwillingly. She told him to speak louder and heart-willingly. He uttered that sentence once more and Kyoko reluctantly accepted his request.

After all that, Sakura walked towards the women's loo. She intentionally left those two alone for a while, so they could start talking to each other.

"Hey, listen. I'm not gonna say this twice," Kyoko said. "Sorry for what happened earlier."

He defended her, "It's alright. It's rational to worry about someone dear to you."

"Tell me the truth," she insisted. "Do you worry about Sakura?"

He looked at the road outside the café as he answered honestly, "Always. I mean… lately."

"You mean… since you knew she was admitted to the hospital?"

"No. Earlier than that."

Kyoko stated, "For now, I won't angry at you… as long as nothing happens to her. Still, I can't trust you completely."

"I'm okay with that. Even though your lips said that you trust me, you still can choose not to."

A few moments later, Sakura returned to her seat, followed by a barista who brought a tray with their food and beverages on it. They drank a little before continuing their conversation.

"You two seem so awkward to me," she giggled.

Kyoko questioned her, "Hey, Sakura, is this some kind of joke?"

Haruki gave Sakura a thin smile, "Just as usual, you and your mischievous jokes."

"Enjoying you time with your new friend?"

"Not really, she kept questioning me because you keep dragging me along. But thanks to you, things got better just now."

Sakura advised them, "You two should learn to treat each other nicely, okay?"

"Honestly, to me, you really sounded like a mother nurturing her two children," Haruki muttered, causing Sakura to laugh out loud.

"Really? Is that so? Ah, man! You startled me!"

Kyoko had never seen Sakura so lively before. She smiled at them while they were not looking at her. That was, until Haruki noticed that smile of hers. "You know… I just realized that…" She couldn't just say that they were perfect for each other. "I'm truly delighted meeting you two here." Both of them smiled back at her. Sakura's smiled sweetly, while Haruki just smiled a little as usual.

Sakura suggested, "Let's enjoy our lunch, shall we?"

While having lunch, Kyoko conveyed her willing to walk Sakura home. Of course, Sakura gladly said yes. "It's been quite a while since the last time we spent our time together, I mean just you and me. Thank you, Sakura," Kyoko said.

Having eaten up his sandwich, Haruki drank up his coffee and stood up from his seat. He intended to head out of the café when Sakura blocked his way with a cute smile on her face. "Where are you going? No need to rush, stay with us for a little longer."

"I'm sure Kyoko wants to spend more time with you, so I assume my presence here is no longer needed."

Kyoko responded, "Please don't make me feel so guilty. Maybe, Sakura has something to convey to you."

She was right. Sakura wanted to plan their next little adventure. "Like I said, I want all of us to be together more frequently. Where should we go next?"

Haruki remembered that Sakura promised him a trip to the beach once she got discharged from the hospital. However, considering the situation, he chose not to remind her of it or Kyoko would think he imagined something perverted. So, he just gave a random guess, "You wanna drag us to a fancy all-you-can-eat restaurant?"

"No. I'm trying to think of something bigger… better… cooler!"

Kyoko tried to guess, "You'd like to watch a movie with us inside an IMAX theatre?"

"Let's see… I'm looking for more… excitement." After a minute silence, Sakura asked, "Does any of you wanna go somewhere?"

Haruki answered, "You decide. I bet you wanna go somewhere before…" He nearly said ' _before you die_ '. If he did that, Kyoko could be suspicious and Sakura's dark secret could be revealed. "… before we part and live our own lives."

"There are many places I wanna go. New York, Paris, Rio, and many more!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" they said (exclaimed for Kyoko's case) in unison.

"I decided where I would like to go on our last vacation, remember? Now it's your turn. Oh, Kyoko can decide as well!"

He quickly replied, "No idea."

Suddenly, Kyoko came up with a brilliant idea. "If you really wanna have fun, why not going to an amusement park? I have never been to such place with you before."

"That's great, Kyoko!" she exclaimed joyfully. "But, one of you should decide where to go. Is that alright?"

Kyoko thought for a while. "Well… since you're into movies, maybe… DisneySea or Universal?"

Haruki added, "What about Disneyland? Don't get me wrong, I'll come wherever you wanna go. It's just… it's quite famous, isn't it?"

"I went there with my family last year. Actually, both of our families."

"Didn't you say that you two have never been to an amusement park together before?"

Sakura explained, "I didn't tell anyone but my family that I wanted to go there. Therefore, we had a good time at Disneyland that day. A few minutes after we left through the gate, I suddenly wanted to pee. Unexpectedly, I met Kyoko inside the toilet! She came out of the toilet cubicle I was about to enter."

Haruki commented, "I see. How unfortunate." Without being told by Sakura, he already knew that it was one of the things she wanted to do before she died. He knew he couldn't talk about it with her since Kyoko was with them at that moment. Instead, he said, "What a nasty joke that was. If I were in Kyoko's shoes, I would probably be deeply disappointed."

"I really was, at first," Kyoko confirmed. "Shortly afterwards, I began to realize that maybe Sakura wanted to spend the whole day with her family while she still could. Unlike what you just said, it wasn't a joke, I'm very sure of it."

Sakura told Kyoko, "Making assumptions is actually his hobby, you know." Then, she went back to the topic. "Anyway, where would you guys like to go?"

Kyoko asked Haruki, "Sakura likes movies. What is your interest?"

"Books, especially fiction ones."

She sighed and complained him, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Acting like she already knew what her best friend would suggest, Sakura spoke a bit loudly, "It's settled then! We're going to Universal Studios!"

"I was about to suggest that place!" Kyoko responded. She asked Haruki again, "Do you like Harry Potter?"

"I'm not a die-hard fan, but, yes, I do."

After a short discussion, they agreed to visit that tourist attraction on the following Wednesday and to depart by train the day before. Sakura booked everything needed right away via her cellphone. Since a one-night stay at Hilton wasn't enough to drain her savings, she voluntarily paid their train tickets, hotel rooms, entry tickets, and even express passes. As a result, Kyoko and Haruki would only have to pay for their own consumptions (food, beverages, and souvenirs).


	2. His House

Several minutes later, they were already outside the café. They thanked each other for the togetherness they enjoyed that day. Kyoko followed Sakura as she and Haruki parted ways.

Sakura asked Kyoko curiously, "What do you think? He's not as horrible as you imagine, right?"

"He's not that bad although he's quite dull. Still, who knows that sometimes he could be so clumsy?" Kyoko replied, looking at Haruki's bag that he accidentally left inside the café.

They took the bag from the café and went to the nearest station as their first attempt to find him. They found him walked towards a ticket machine. Kyoko rushed towards him with his bag on her shoulder. However, Sakura pulled her hand and instructed her to approach him silently. They walked soundlessly until they found themselves standing behind him, spying him from behind his back. He still didn't realize that his bag wasn't with him since he had prepared the money he needed to purchase his ticket inside his pocket. After they found out how much the ticket price he purchased, they hid somewhere close to that spot, so they could keep themselves unseen by him.

"What are you trying to do?" Kyoko asked her best friend.

Sakura didn't say anything. She just smiled. Kyoko tried to guess and she was sure she knew the answer. "Trying to find out where his house is? Am I right?"

She just smiled, again.

"What is the meaning of this? You wanna come _into_ his house?"

"Perhaps, _you_ are the one who wanna come inside."

"What? No way!"

"Just kidding!"

After they had their tickets on hand, they continued to put a tail on him. The three of them stood at the same platform, stepped into the same train, got off at the same station, and strolled on the same streets, heading to the same destination. Eventually, Sakura and Kyoko stopped in front of a house which was smaller in size compared to Sakura's.

Haruki was sliding the door when Sakura surprised him by saying, "Nice house."

He turned back and noticed them. "Since when have you…" He stopped speaking when he noticed the thing Kyoko carried. He took back his bag and spoke, "I'm really sorry for making you come here to return this to me. Thank you very much."

"You're welcome." After a few seconds, she opened her mouth again, asking for permission, "Sorry, can I use the toilet?"

He answered, "Sure. It's on the right side."

"Thank you!"

Haruki's mother welcomed Kyoko once she entered the house. She rushed directly to the toilet. Just after she shut the toilet door, Haruki's mother smiled to her son who stood before her. "I knew you will bring a girl home sometime, but I never expected that you bring her today. Are you two going out?"

"No. We're just friends."

She pointed to the other girl outside the house who was busy with her cellphone. "Who is she?"

"Remember the girl in the toilet? She's her best friend."

She asked her son again, tempting him in a playful way, "What a cute girl she is. Are you in love with her?"

Kyoko overheard their conversation from the other side of the toilet door. She was eagerly waiting for his answer to that crucial question. However, Haruki's answer wasn't as wonderful as she and his mother expected. He admitted, "No. She's just… a good friend of mine."

"Good friend, eh? That's alright, I'm glad to hear it. It's better than not having any friend at all."

Kyoko came out and thanked the hosts for allowing her to use their toilet. She walked towards Sakura after saying goodbye to them.

Sakura giggled as she said, "At the end, it was you who entered his house instead of me."

Kyoko got a little upset. "I was just using his toilet! To be honest, I really had to or I would embarrass myself!"

Sakura admitted her mistake, "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to tease you that badly. I will also feel awkward if I have to go in there. However, in your shoes, I would definitely do the same."

"Fine. Buy me a popsicle or anything on the way home. You're okay with that?"

"Got it."

Haruki stepped out of his house and approached them. "Thanks again for returning my bag. Please forgive my carelessness."

"No need to apologize," Sakura responded. "You have extended my time with Kyoko today. I'm very thankful for that."

He smiled and looked at their foreheads since he wasn't dare enough to stare directly at their eyes. "I hope you enjoy your time together."

The words he just uttered made Sakura laughed once more. Kyoko and Haruki didn't understand why she suddenly laughed like that. "You said it as if Kyoko abducts me from you!"

"That's not what I meant," he denied calmly.

"I know! You reminded me of a movie character who said it. Unlike you, he was ruthless and extremely possessive."

"Oh, I see. Be careful on your way home."

"Whom are you talking to?" Sakura asked, showing him a weird face expression, much like a smug face.

"Both of you."

"Alright, see ya!" Sakura spoke cheerfully. Kyoko only waved her hand as they walked away from his house.

Haruki went upstairs and checked his cellphone in his room. There was a new message from Sakura.

" _Do you still want me to fulfill my promise to take you to the beach? I couldn't talk about it back then, or Kyoko would be mad at you._

 _Oh, I have a new wish. On this year's late fall, I wanna see winter cherry blossoms with you!_ "

He replied,

" _It's up to you. You only reacted to the situation, I also did the same._

 _That's a nice wish. It's all I can say._ "


	3. Living with Dying

Before he went to bed, his cellphone rang. It was obvious who called him late that night. "Hello? It's midnight already. What do you wish to tell me?"

" _Sorry if I disturb you_ ," she apologized. " _Well, I just want to say… thanks for_ _today._ "

"You mean yesterday," he corrected. "Yeah, yesterday was fun. So... thank you."

 _"Glad to hear it."_ She started to get straight to the point. _"Actually, there is something I'd like to convey... just to_ _you_."

"Talk to me. I'm listening."

She took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to hold her tears. Then, she spoke with a softer voice, " _Thank you... for encouraging me to keep on living._ "

He smiled as if Sakura knelt before him. "My pleasure."

" _You know… I just found something on the internet. People who suffer the same disease as I do… with this level of severity… still have the chance to survive for about 5 years after being diagnosed. It's longer than my doctor's estimate, you know. You read my Disease Coexistence Journal that day, I still remember that. Well, in case you've forgotten, I was first diagnosed nearly three years ago._ "

"How great is the chance?"

" _Seven percent,_ " she mentioned. He was out of words. They remained silent for almost 1 minute. Sakura still wanted to be with him for a longer time although she realized it was very unlikely to happen. Tears began to flow down her smooth cheeks. She struggled really hard not to sob on the phone in order to prevent him from worrying too much about her. She wiped her tears away immediately and consoled him (and herself), " _I know it's not a big number, but you still can call it hope, right?_ "

"Right."

Deep within his heart, he was truly sad to hear it. He had spent a lot of time with her in the past few months. As the time went by, they had built a special, irreplaceable bond. It was obviously more than a friendship, yet no word could perfectly describe their relationship. If he really had to lose her right that moment, he wouldn't be ready, even though he already knew that she didn't have much time left to remain in this mortal world. Hence, he changed the topic in order to hide his true feelings. "What are you doing this late?"

" _I'm writing my Disease Coexistence Journal._ "

"Don't exert yourself too much," he advised.

" _Aww… that's so kind of you!_ "

"Please don't say such things, it's embarrassing. Good night."

" _Good night. Sweet dreams!_ " she said to him before hanging up the call.

* * *

18th August 20XX

I'm going to be discharged tomorrooooooooow! I'm going to enjoy my remaining time to the fullest! Yaaaaaaaaaaay!

* * *

19th August 20XX

Today was fun and full of surprises! At last, the three of us had meal together, just like I've always wished. Even though it was difficult to make them befriend each other, they finally started to get along today. We also planned to go on a trip together for the very first time! We chose to visit Universal Studios for a certain reason. We stopped at a house after hanging out at that café. It's small, yet nice and seems comfortable. At the time, Kyoko didn't have any choice but to use the toilet. She really went into the house, how lucky! I joked a few times today and I really laughed a lot as I enjoyed their priceless expressions because of being joked. Kyoko walked me home today. We talked much about various things along the way. I guess, I won't write here about what we were talking about back then since it's late already by the time I'm writing this. Almost forget, my new wish: I wanna see winter cherry blossoms this year. Wow, I've written so many words for today… To put an end to today's diary, I just wanna speak to myself, "Can't wait for our trip to Universal!"


End file.
